Rinnegan Unleashed
by Haitorei
Summary: The Rinnegan's unique ability to manipulate the core of spirituality is said to be the basis for jutsu itself. You are but a broken tool. Dead weight. How can you even dream of being the Chosen One?  Naruto escapes Konoha, comes back far more powerful.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Announcements:**

Naruto will have the Rinnegan in this story, but the powers of this unique bloodline have been misunderstood. The most comprehensive understanding that I have had the opportunity to read is here: Naruto Forums search "the powers of the Rinnegan"

I highly recommend everyone read this; he/she has an interesting and well grounded take on this.

If you don't want to, anyways, here is the summary:

Powers of the Rinnegan

1. According to Jiraiya, the Rinnegan allowed Nagato to master all six forms of chakra - presumably the five elements plus one other - perhaps yin/yang.  
2. The Rinnegan bestows upon its possessor the ability to see spiritual energy and beings.  
- we see Pain observing the spiritual barrier that surrounds Konoha:

- we have Pain being able to see the Hell King Enma with his Rinnegan: This is a being that cannot be detected by anyone else without it interacting with them specifically, much like the Shinigami.

Things That People Like to Pretend Are Gifted by the Rinnegan, but Probably Aren't

1. Jiraiya tells us that, as a child, Nagato expressed an unnatural aptitude for ninjutsu. His hobby was creating and learning new techniques. Given the powers of the Rinnegan, he has an advantage over every other ninja in that regard.

2. Jiraiya does not tell us, however, that Nagato suddenly began manipulating the Six Realms of Metampsychosis.

3. He does not tell us that awakening the Rinnegan granted Nagato access to powers never before seen in the world of ninja.

4. He does not tell us that the Rinnegan comes equipped with a jutsu repertoire as the Mangekyo Sharingan does.

5. In fact, Nagato exhibits no signs of having inherited superhuman powers from his doujutsu in the three years that Jiraiya knows him.

The Six Paths of Pain

Six Paths is NOT a power of the Rinnegan! Full analysis on the link

How does the Sage of the Six Paths come into all of this?  
He created ninjutsu, and therefore most likely discovered chakra for what it is, right?

Chakra is a combination of body energy and spiritual energy.

Body energy is sort of obvious here. It's physical fitness and stamina. Any old person could figure this out.

But what about spiritual energy? How do you learn to control something you can't see or feel normally?

Then along came the Sage.

His Rinnegan allowed him to detect the spiritual energy in his body and the bodies around him, allowing him to mold chakra and create the first ninjutsu.

This also helps to explain why Nagato can have so much chakra. Since the Rinnegan is intrinsically linked to spiritual power, Nagato has an immense amount of this energy - possibly more than any other human.

That, or he is simply more efficient in its usage since he is aware of it.

Conclusion

Rinnegan's power is to attune its possessor to spiritual energy and allow him or her to use all six forms of chakra manipulation. Whether this is due to the connection with the spirit or simply a second ability, we can't be sure.

The Six Paths of Pain are not necessarily - nor even likely - a direct manifestation of the Rinnegan's power. More likely they stem from the amazing insight that Nagato has into ninjutsu thanks to his bloodline.

**Chapter One**

Demon.

Monster.

Animal.

Can't you see we must kill you?

Can't you see you must die for our vindication?

Can't you see they're scared of you?

Run. Run away and don't even dream of coming back.

His muscles involuntary trembled in a futile attempt at generating heat. The funny thing about the rain – the more wet it got, the drier Naruto's sense of humor became. No place; no friends; no identity. He was the void, which absorbed all hatred; the black hole that encompassed all negativity; the black hole whose sole purpose was to prove absolute negativity existed in the Universe.

He understood his place in the world – oh yes, even embraced it. Perhaps if he played the part well enough, he would be reincarnated in the next life as a dog. Yes, a dog with a loving master. That's all he really asked for. Anything was better than this. Anything at all.

Naruto stared at the blade in front of him. Perhaps Kami-sama would smile. Yes, she would grant him peace. A chill smile broke on his face as he felt the familiarity of warmth. Crimson life sped down his arms and splattered stupidly on the ground. The familiar dizziness overcame him as he felt woozy. If only he could die…

"_Help me!"_

_Naruto looked up and saw a little boy desperately hanging onto a small tree branch. With a crack the branch broke, but before the boy met the unforgiving ground Naruto managed to catch him in his arms._

_The boy suddenly screamed – as Naruto tried to calm him, the wails only got worse. He pried himself from Naruto's arms and ran to a middle-aged man nearby._

"_Do you even know who your father is? You're an accident… No connection whatsoever to this village." The man spat. "How dare you touch my boy?"_

_Naruto stared blankly at the older male. Then at the boy who offered Naruto a smirk, seemingly satisfied with his work. Naruto realized it was a crude plan to get him in trouble. Suddenly, he weaved through the crowd to dash away, embarrassed at his own misfortunes._

Everyday a similar scenario would occur. Every night he would cry himself asleep, paranoid that someone would find him; that someone would see him and attack him. Make pain come searing through his veins like the last time. That those dark, crimson eyes would make his world go black once more. Yes, death would be far easier… Even preferable.

Naruto jolted when the door inexplicably burst open. Behind them darkness enveloped a cloaked figure, the visage hidden in the mist of the night. But Naruto was all too familiar with this person. This time, Naruto merely smirked. He sardonically gave one last look at the world. Telling fate to fuck itself. He. Didn't. Care. Anymore.

"You're going to kill me." Naruto whispered. It was a statement.

"If I am?" The red eyes began to spin.

"I'm ready…" Naruto floated forward. "Do your worst."

The mysterious man said nothing at this bold move. Perhaps this came unexpectedly. Perhaps he was bidding his time. A wave of apathy washed over Naruto. The futile nature of his existence; the nihilistic dump that he called life. What did it even mean? He didn't care to find out. A kunai came out of Naruto's sleeve. "I'm getting impatient. Are you going to kill me or not?"

A lightning-fast blade whizzed through his heart. Naruto smiled as the recognizable taste of blood flowed into his mouth. The identifiable dizziness as his mind shut down. Death… he had come so close to tasting it so many times before. His wrist gave one last pulsating effort at life before he faded into a comforting darkness.

Alas, that would be too easy. Far too easy. No, his immortal prisoner would never allow that, and true to its word Naruto felt the wound healing almost immediately. He lost everything. The closeness of home – of death. Despondence was new to him – he was always born with nothing. But to have it stripped from him when he was so close… Fate mocked him. He could never die; no matter how much he wished, begged or pleaded. Kami-sama was intent on keeping him a soul-less ghost, forever doomed to walk the earth, merely to seek the afterlife.

A sudden anger surged through his veins. He had not even fallen to the ground before consciousness had forced itself onto him, barging through his mind to assert its dominance. "Pathetic. Aren't you an ANBU? Capable of expertly killing anything?" His eyes glared at the intruder. This imbecile incapable of even properly putting him to sleep. This was all his fault. All of it.

"There are things far worse than death, Naruto-kun." The voice whispered softly, and the eyes changed. "Tsukuyomi."

A blackness devoured him. It was as if everything turned into a grey-scale, only capable of recognizing onyx shades. Naruto had an uncontrollable urge to giggle, and as he succumbed to this innate desire he began laughing manically. "Worse than death? Everything's worse than death. Death is what I've courted for my entire existence. My life has been about seeking death. You – this clever technique that brings me pain… It is but another obstacle that prevents me from actually dying."

The man placed another sword into his body – over and over for what felt like an eternity – and Naruto kept laughing until his throat grew hoarse. The humor of the situation subsided long, long ago. The familiar flames erupted. The entire village. All of it. It must all burn into nothingness. His glare on his adversary intensified, as if his whole being could only see this monster before him. As if… he could see into the very spiritual fibers of his charka. Something began beating on Naruto's head like a drum, but he ignored it; even through the mind-numbing pain, he focused on his only desire: to rip the soul of his opponent thread by thread. To disassemble this chakra-constructed world… To bend this spiritual energy against him… Yes, to take the tip of this sword and slip it into this fool's side… Yes that would be most ideal.

"You? How… How can this be?" The world melted away, fading into reality. Naruto became acutely aware of the blue surrounding this man. He looked at himself, seeing a red core washing over him. '_So that's the source of all these voices…_'

That night it seemed even fate had learned to fear him.

N N N N

Naruto packed up his belongings – which did not prove to be a difficult task in the slightest. His apartment consisted of a handful of clothes, an old bed and some books. He left behind all his clothes but a single pair of pajamas – the only set which did not bear any relationship with Konoha. From now on, he was through with this village.

He looked at himself in the mirror for the last time. His eyes had concentric rings around them that alternated between golden and orange. His pupils shone in the darkness. The strangest part was his new ability to manipulate chakra; all of it became suddenly visible to him.

In the dead of night he packed up and bolted. Towards the outer edges of Konoha his eyes saw a massive chakra barrier. He held his hand out and the barrier made a small hole. Passing through, he sealed it quickly. _'They'll probably know… Fuck it.'_

N N N N

"WHAT!" Sarutobi stared.

The ANBU stared solemnly, a single abnormally red eye frowning through the mask. "Our troops are unable to locate him, Hokage-sama. His chakra cannot be sensed. Either he has mastered – and I mean _mastered_ – chakra suppression or…" Hatake Kakashi bit his lip.

"Perhaps, Hokage-sama…" another pair of Sharingan stared at him. "There were unanticipated side effects of his attacks. The doctors say he suffered chronic depression."

But Sarutobi was more concerned for a certain nine-tailed demon that lay inside Naruto. There were no signs of anything going awry. The last time it approached the ki could be felt from kilometers away. Today… Today almost seemed peaceful. He sighed.

A third, bandaged man entered the room. "You've done it now, eh Sarutobi?" the man chuckled. "We could have had been be the greatest ninja the Leaf had ever seen. But now?"

"Danzo," The un-retired leader began.

"Two days." A single paper floated to the third hokage's desk. "You have two days to find him before the council proclaims him dead, lifts the ban regarding the Fourth's legacy, and officially re-writes history. Good luck."

'_The body… where could the body have gone?'_ Even his crystal ball was useless in a situation like this.

N N N N

That's chapter one! Thanks for reading! It's much shorter than most chapters


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What is your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Whom do you represent?"

"Iwa."

"What is your mission?"

"Destruction of Konoha." Naruto breathed, his eyes shining in the light.

The Tsuchikage smiled. "Rise, my son." He hugged the boy. He had grown remarkably in the past five years. Of course, possessing a certain demon and the greatest dojutsu in existence did not hurt.

N N N N N N

Naruto sharply inhaled the suffocating, dry air of the Land of Stone. He loved this place. Everything reminded him of the harshness of life; that in order to survive, strength was a pre-requisite. Even something so simple as breathing could not be taken for granted.

When he initially arrived he was taken into interrogation; no one believed Konoha would so easily give away their prized Jinchuuriki. But upon learning of his heritage, not only did they come to accept him, they _embraced_ him. He was the one who killed the legendary Yondaime Hokage. He was the savior of Tsuchigakure. The hero of the village.

Not a single child passed him without squealing in delight. No man passed without giving Naruto a firm nod and an encouraging smile. No women without the slight blush on her face. He was a celebrity.

But these were peripheral privileges. The real decision to come here stemmed from the little he knew about the Great Shinobi Wars – that Iwa was the Leaf's greatest enemy. And the attitudes had not changed. They trained him faithfully; they gave him everything his heart desired. And most importantly, they kept his bloodline a secret.

It became transparent that the foolish Leaf had no idea that the Senju clan had the most direct lineage to the Sage of Six Paths, and the Uzumakis, being distant relatives, naturally shared that connection. Their knowledge of sealing techniques was so feared, it ultimately led to their demise. The demise of all but one Uzumaki.

The Tsuchikage was more than accommodating of Naruto's demands. Private training lessons, retrieving the remains of his family's scrolls, his own training ground. Anything and everything, all while strengthening the hatred Naruto felt towards Konoha and the Land of Fire. He became known as the Golden Prince, the one foretold to bring the Land of Stone back to its glory days. He smirked; perhaps he would – after all, what greater smite could he give his imbecile father than becoming the leader of his most hated enemy?

But those thoughts had to be shoved back into the far recesses of his mind; he had business to attend to. His team was currently preparing for the Chuunin Exams, currently being hosted at none other than the famous Konohagakure. His mission was simple: prior to the exam, scout out the entire village and take detailed notes regarding all passageways, structural weaknesses and get an estimate of the Leaf's forces.

During the exam? _Kill as many as possible_ without them getting to suspect him.

"_They may ask you to stay; no doubt that old Sarutobi will immediately recognize you. It will only be a matter of time."_

"_Then I will stay. All the more excuse and time to learn their secrets. I will be a double agent, pretending to have changed my ways. I will learn their jutsus and their weaknesses. And when you give me the signal, Father, I will join you in the invasion."_

"_Excellent."_

But before he could go to Konoha, he had a family matter to sort out. He picked up the three books – the only useful things they could recover from the long collapsed Uzushiogakure, the land of Whirlpools. A book of ancient sealing techniques, a book on the Kyuubi no Yoko, and a book on the Rasengan. It was all he was looking for, really. He did not care for a family geneology or learning the long-lost culture and favorite foods of his people. He had to master these three books before he was ready to take down the Leaf, rumored to be the strongest ninja nation currently.

Sealing came naturally to Naruto; he breezed through the ancient book, mastering each and every technique – but not before upgrading it with modern tricks. The Rinnegan proved to be the most troubling. It had three major powers that all revolved around a central theme of controlling spirituality itself. Chakra was a fusion between physical and spiritual energy, so it became easily manipulatable under his dojutsu. He could even see spiritual beings, such as the Kyuubi without it summoning him in some alternate mind-scape.

Manipulation had one powerful implication in terms of battle: because he could mold chakra at will, hand signs became antiquated. He did not need help in controlling elements either, so inventing jutsus transformed into a relatively easy process in which he could simply will chakra into a certain format.

Copying jutsus and predicting moves, like the Sharingan, became a bit more complicated but with practice also very do-able. Hand signs, to an experienced ninja, were basically announcements to the opponent, giving away the element of surprise. But with the Rinnegan, this became especially so. He could _see_ the chakra being molded; he could predict its effects; and he could copy the same molding without the useless hand motions. This increased Naruto's jutsu speed dramatically along with his reaction time.

The second major power the Rinnegan gave him was absolute elemental control. It even gave him control over this 'natural chakra' which seemed to form a special 'sage' chakra. Spiritual energy was abundant throughout nature, and the Rinnegan allowed Naruto to sap its power to give him a new level of strength, though it left behind a wasteland. The first time he accidentally used this technique, an acre of forest was left desolate.

The third power, however, he had made no progress on whatsoever. The book alluded to the Sage of Six Paths and his unique yin/yang chakra that gave him control over the ultimate beast – the ten-tailed demon. He had intended to use this to gain ultimate control over the Kyuubi's chakra, giving him a nearly infinite chakra supply and demonic power. Demon chakra was a crucial component of the yin/yang chakra he sought so desperately, but it was all for naught. The Rinnegan gave him the ability to retain control even when channelling the Kyuubi's chakra, but it did not give him the same control he was looking for. Instead, he just made the demon disappear in a grumpy terror.

Rumors, however, had given him hope recently. It seemed that Kumogakure no Sato had the 8-tailed demon, a man who named himself "Killer Bee," and he had mastered a technique that gave him absolute control over his demon. In certain fights it was rumored that the demon voluntarily _helped_ the man, and despite giving the demon temporary control it would obediently serve him. Naruto smirked. '_The ability to repress a demon itself... Now that's... to _die_ for.'_

Naruto packed his belongings and sealed it away into his armor. He was going to find out how this was possible; either through force or flirtation.

N N N N N N

"Congratulations to you all, you've all qualified for taking the Chuunin Exam. Now, Hokage-sama has asked me to give you certain announcements." Iruka began.

"1. You will notice from this point onward that an increasing number of shinobi from other nations are arriving at the Leaf. They have permission to be here due to this reason. I suggest you make good relations with them; it's useful to connections in other nations."

The genin were unusually attentive for an Iruka lecture. He had been their academy instructure and was well known for his notoriously tedious speeches. Today was different; today the room itself had an electric buzzing. The chuunin exams had arrived.

"2. You will probably be forced to kill someone during this exam." It was as if someone drained the happiness out of the room with a suction jutsu. "You are no longer kids." He paused at Ino and Sakura. "This is about giving you a realistic perspective. You may very well be required to end the life of someone you grew up with. I can't tell you about the details about this, but suffice it to say that this year's proctors are especially... bloodthirsty."

Iruka sighed. "Any questions? All I'm saying is that there's always next year, and you do not have to feel pressured into taking this. We'd rather have a genin than a dead Chuunin."

N N N N N N

There are many different kinds of silence; and after being an elite guard for Killer Bee himself, this particular ninja had learned them well. This type... this was not good. The other guards were not responding, which meant they were probably dead. Given the size and precision of this operation, the group attacking probably had at least fifteen shinobi. He needed to regroup with the others... if there were any remaining. He weighed the odds. No, he needed to find Killer Bee-sama and leave. Immediately.

Running, he ducked away from an icicle and ran deeper and deeper into the caves. Killer Bee-sama was currently doing his meditation, and yes, he would probably be _very_ upset that he was interrupted. But upset would be far better than dead. He stumbled backwards as he carelessly slipped on the ice. Killer Bee-sama certainly preferred the more remote areas, but...

'_Hey... Didn't I already pass this rock? Unless... Genjutsu..._'

Moments of before death are funny things. So many people exaggerate death, glorify those final moments – as if people had some instinctual premonition toward the unknowable. As if individuals, in those last seconds, found some sort of inner strength. May be they were right... But in Naruto's opinion, that was a bull shit. At least _this_ shinobi had no fucking clue. He caught the head as it rolled off the body.

Dipping the sword in the river he cleaned it carefully. It was an heirloom of the Tsuchikage. Not that he needed it. He could have just as easily plunged his own fist into the man's chest and excavated his heart. '_But that's just a little too dirty._'

He had all the information he needed: all he needed now was to find this certain waterfall where he could confront his dark side. This was the final obstacle in perfecting his control over the greatest chakra asset since the Sage of Six Paths. He smirked. All he had to do was beat himself. He closed his eyes as a dark, shadowed version of himself emerged from the waterfall...

N N N N N N

"You seem worried, Hokage-sama." Kakashi Hatake was one of the few Jounins the third Hokage was genuinely close to. "Is it Iwa's recent movements?"

"Yes... Their activities are not emblematic of a nation that recently accepted peace. They've been closed off for too long. I fear they still harbor resentment against the Fourth. With the Chuunin Exams coming up. Maybe it was too soon to allow them to participate."

"We should reinforce our borders and call back some of our _wiser_ shinobi." Kakashi hinted.

"Jiraiya... Yes, it would be better to have him back. Tsuchi recently withdrew from their newly formed alliance with Kumo, and rumors are that they're planning an invasion."

"Yes, I heard someone went after the eight-tails – the Raikage's own brother, if my sources are correct."

"Indeed. What's more is this person may be a Jinchuuriki herself. Apparently she has an inordinate amount of chakra."

Kakashi's single eyebrow went up. "It's a Kunoichi?"

"We can't be sure. But she had long, blonde hair. Perhaps a man who doesn't care for hygiene. Regardless, what's really troubling is that Kumo did not ask us who this person was; they have not contacted _any_ of the nations regarding this incident. The only reason I know is because Jiraya spotted the Raikage and several medical ninja carrying away Killer Bee and taking her in chains. Her face was hidden by her hair, so we can't be sure."

Kakashi took a step back. This was really, really bothersome. If Iwa has a force that can take out the eight-tails Jinchuuriki... But something was not fitting. The only demon stronger than the eight-tails is the Kyuubi, which died along with Naruto years ago. Well, demons alone are not the sole test of strength. A really, really skilled ninja even with a weak demon can theoretically take out a strong container.

After all, the Shodaime Hokage was said to defeat Madara despite his ability to summon the Kyuubi itself. But this theory, as neat as it sounded, had one, gaping hole: Killer Bee was not only a strong container; he was a deadly ninja. Kakashi had only one encounter with the man, and it was lucky they discovered they were allies soon enough...

"_Sorry about that!" Killer Bee roughly patted Kakashi's bleeding arm. "But you really shouldn't use lightning based attacks on ninja from Kumo." He then proceeded to laugh hysterically. "A wicked jutsu ain't enough, when you're dealing with someone truly rough."_

_'He tore apart Chidori like it was nothing...'_

Kakashi did not want to encounter this new ninja, but one thing was certain. The Leaf needed Jiraiya back. And _he_ needed to get back in shape. His right hand subconsciously approached his covered eye.

N N N N N N

Bee woke up next to a boy with long, blonde hair. He came up to about his neck and seemed slightly lanky. But he didn't particularly care for this boy's appearance right now. This was the shinobi who almost beat him. Almost. And he knew the next time they fought it wouldn't be so close. He had just gained absolute control over the demon's chakra. He was considerably weakened after facing his own demonic self, and luckily for Killer Bee, he had just woken from his meditation.

"_Hey kid. Who are you and how did you get in here?"_

_There was an eerie, maniacal laughter. "So this is the true power of the Kyuubi. YES!" Naruto looked down at his body; it was glowing in a ball of chakra-induced golden light. The power surge was unreal. He winced as he stepped down. Defeating the darkness within himself was terrifyingly difficult. There was one thing in particular that bothered him: 'You've convinced yourself that you're apathetic... You're not. There will come a time when all this melts away... When you're truly vulnerable.'_

_Those were the final words the yin inside of him said before Naruto forcibly ripped its throat out. A time when he'd be vulnerable? 'Not with this power... Not a chance.' He turned to the eight-tailed Jinchuuriki in front of him. "You're the perfect test subject." Naruto smirked._

_In a flash, Naruto was behind Killer Bee with his katana, already in mid strike._

"_You little bitch! That's a nasty switch" Bee substituted away._

"_This is your last chance. Bring out the demon or I'll kill you."_

"_Y-you want me to transform! That's gonna bring one heck of a storm!" He proudly proclaimed._

"_What is it with all this rhyming? I can see you're not taking this seriously. Your loss." Appearing beside him Naruto let himself be caught when his body suddenly exploded._

_'Combining an exploding shadow clone with that Golden Flash technique... Who is this man? It's like the Golden Flash himself has returned...' "Well done stranger – but don't whine at the immense danger!"_

_Naruto activated a pair of seals on his arms and turned invisible. The great thing about Tsuchi – they _never _took their surroundings for granted. These seals activated a handy set of jutsus that suppressed his chakra, made him invisible, and activated his invisible claws. This particular set of seals was inspired after the second Tsuchikage, Mu. He was so great at becoming undetectable that he was often called the 'Non-Person.' The chakra infused blades flew out of his knuckles; he was so used to the pain he didn't bother wincing anymore._

_That wasn't the only thing he stole from Mu. He was the famed dust user, someone who could combine three elements – fire, wind and earth to reduce opponents to dust at a molecular level. Naruto, having the Rinnegan, spent as much time as possible learning these techniques._

_As he approached Killer Bee, the older Jinchuuriki smiled. 'Not bad at all, kid. Not bad at all.' Killer Bee transformed as an immense ox appeared. "You're dead kid. You know what you did." His strategy suddenly changed – if he couldn't see him, he'd just have to destroy the whole area._

_'Now that's more like it.' An arrogant smirk unfolded as Naruto's eyes glowed with anticipation. He unleashed the Kyuubi's chakra. It wasn't time for the Rinnegan just yet. He didn't have enough chakra to consistently bring it out at this point._

_The giant ox charged its fist with lightning as it lunged toward Naruto. A swirling ball of chakra formed in Naruto's hand and soon glowed green with the wind. The ox's eyes widened as it tried to back out of its strike but it was too late. Naruto whirled towards the body –_

_'Pure elemental manipulation!' The unleashed wind tore through the lightning, decimating Killer Bee's left hand completely. As the ox rotated away, Naruto landed inelegantly on the rocks. 'Fuck that rasengan took way too much chakra.'_

_The Yondaime supposedly learned the technique from observing the Jinchuuriki... Well, after the Iwa spies got that information it wasn't too difficult to piece together the technique._

_Killer Bee guffawed in the back. Naruto looked up, panting. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. But if that's all you've got, you're gonna fall." He raised his hand as a swirl of black and white chakra melded together in a ball._

_Naruto's eyes widened. 'Yin yang chakra.' His Rinnegan flew to life as he couldn't even fathom how this Jinchuuriki – someone without the aid of the Rinnegan had mastered such an advanced technique. 'I need to run...' It was the only thing that came to his mind. He had neither enough chakra nor enough strength to dream of battling it right now. He looked over, one last time at the menacing ball, his dojutsu analyzing the chakra intently, and smiled. 'That's what I came here to learn...' Of course, he had intended on pounding the crap out of this man or invading his mind to extract the knowledge, but... a hardy demonstration was more than sufficient._

_'8 to 2, eh... The ratios probably change for different jutsus. Ah well. This was fun...'_

_As Naruto ran, the Tailed Beast Ball approached him faster and faster. He put all his chakra into a single Hiraishin, flying away..._

"_Brother, you called." The Raikage and several elite Kumo jounins approached quickly._

"_Raikage-sama..." Killer Bee pointed in Naruto's general direction before passing out._

_'To do so much damage to you... Who is this bastard...'_

Killer Bee analyzed the boy's body some more before punching him. Hard. Naruto groaned awake. His instincts guided him awake instantly; his mind whizzed to analyze the situation, going over the most recent events, leading to one conclusion: he was in Kaminari no Kuni. Hostage.

'Fuck... You just _had_ to go and be curious.' But even his situation could not bring him down. He had learned the secret – certainly, it was the hard way – but it was _a_ way nonetheless. He smiled internally. Yin/yang jutsus opened an entirely new realm of possibilities...

His thoughts, however, were interrupted by Killer Bee's deathly stare.

"Which Jinchuuriki do you hold?"

Naruto looked at his body; he was strapped down to a bed with chakra feeders on his limbs. That explained his abnormally low charka levels. But they couldn't keep up. They were nearly maxed out, yet he was still generating more chakra than they could handle. Just a bit more. Which meant... 'It'll only be a while until I'm free... And when I am... You will be the first to die.'

"Shukkaku, the one-tailed demon." Naruto said with a straight face, making sure to keep his chakra suppressed. He had to let them think he was permanently low on chakra – that their futil machines had any hope of containing him.

"How did you learn the Hiraishin no Jutsu Technique? That's a Konoha secret. And only one person knew it at that."

And here came the real masterpiece. "I am a Konoha ninja. I was sent here to kill you."

N N N N N N

48 hours later, Naruto had just enough chakra. All he needed was to activate a single, extremely chakra-intensive seal placed right on the back of his neck. The real problem was reaching it. The idea was not to place it somewhere _too_ easy so that enemies would not be able to find it. He mentally snorted. What a stupid concept – even if they had seen it, they wouldn't do much considering they thought he had no chakra.

Instead, he couldn't reach it now either.

The door burst open. "You're being moved."

If ever Naruto believed in Kami-sama, it was now. Now of all times. He would never again say he was unlucky. Four ninjas wearing masks entered; Naruto assumed them to be the equivalent of Iwa's elite assassination squad.

"Don't think of doing anything. A single move out of place, we'll kill you. We've already contacted Konoha. They say you've been a missing nin for quite sometime."

'Pathetic. You can't even bluff properly.' These sloppy interrogation techniques could only be a product of peace time. The laziness and dulled training due to a false sense of security brought on by some alliance with Konoha. If they had truly contacted his home village, they would have at least mentioned his name, which they could not even manage to acquire over the course of three days.

He had long ago become nearly immune to genjutsu; he was so used to activating his Rinnegan that he could easily detect illusions even without their aid now. Certainly, an advanced genjutsu could perhaps fool his normal eyes, but apparently the coming Chuunin exams had made them more than slightly short-staffed. Naruto guessed that's where they were taking him now: to be interrogated under a genjutsu specialist. Even he knew if he was taken there, he'd have to use his Rinnegan to escape.

He couldn't afford that. No one in the ninja world knew the ultimate dojutsu was back... yet. They couldn't know until Konoha had fallen.

A sword was preemptively placed on his neck, and another on his stomach. Then, his shackles were released.

Naruto smiled. "They were very uncomfortable."

"Shut up. Move."

Naruto stood his ground. "The next time I see you, you're all dead."

The sword on his stomach pressed down. Hard. Naruto could barely breathe, but breathing didn't matter. He only had to get his hand to his neck. The sword began to cut – they were going for the kill. Just before it struck a major vein, Naruto managed to connect his digits...

He gasped as he stumbled into the Tsuchigakure hospital. The kage's assistant was there, unsurprised. "Got into a real fucking mess didn't you."

"Shut up, Daisuke." Naruto coughed out some blood. He covered his gut. That was no ordinary sword...

The kage soon arrived. "What happened?"

Naruto passed out.

N N N N N N

"What!" This was just not Sarutobi's day. "Which ninja?"

"They haven't gotten a name, Hokage-sama."

The hokage became deadly silent. "If they haven't gotten a name... How. Can. They. Know. It's. Us?" He spoke through his closed teeth, forcing himself to be calm.

"I-I hear the ninja said so."

He stood up. "Problematic indeed..."

N N N N N N

The Tsuchikage stood at the top of the training grounds, which were unusually empty. It was just Naruto and the kage.

"That was a foolish endeavor." The Tsuchikage maintained a grim remark. "The fact that you had to resort to _that_ seal proves it. But I'm not here to lecture you. Did they see your Rinnegan?"

So that's what this was really about. It couldn't be about his own safety. The days of fatherly conduct were over. He was no longer a child. Naruto wasn't disillusioned by this, either. He knew. They were merely partners in a mutually beneficial transaction – to destroy Konoha. "I activated it once... but he didn't see it – we were too far apart, and they didn't ask me about it when they held me hostage."

He nodded. "Hm... Yes, well, nothing like being too careful, right?" he said as he signaled to the guard. They brought in an unconscious Killer Bee.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"This is your graduation present. Finish the job you set out to do." The kage stabbed the man with a needle, and the Jinchuuriki gained consciousness slowly. The others immediately vanished.

Naruto couldn't hold a wicked smile from overcoming him. It was just the two of them. The two containers of the most powerful demons in the world.

Naruto opened his golden, ringed eyes glowing in the darkness. All of his seals were active; cloaking, chakra suppression, his claws along with his katana. He would need everything for this. He smiled. This would be the first time he used the kyuubi's chakra in battle. He felt it glow in excitement, its will at his command. 'Oh, this is going to be fun.'

"Where am I?"

"Do you want your freedom?" Naruto quietly asked.

The Jinchuuriki didn't say anything.

"If you kill me, you're free to go."

Killer Bee was unusually serious. Then it hit Naruto – the strange crimson liquid inside the needle... They had brain washed him with an immensely large concentration of soldier pills... He probably had no idea who he was or even why he was standing here. Naruto stepped back as he felt the immense spike of killer intent radiating.

Oh, yes. It seemed the Tsuchikage was _very_ serious indeed.

'Good. That's better anyways; no more annoying rhymes.'

Naruto turned invisible and made a plethora of shadow clones. The seals didn't make him perfectly undetectable – after all, even the seals operated on chakra, so anyone with a fine enough sense of chakra perception could detect him. Still, combining that with shadow clones provided a handy distraction.

Meanwhile, Naruto himself started on the newest jutsu he had picked up from Killer Bee himself. A giant, black orb of yin/yang chakra began spinning on an eight to two ratio. The clones would hold him back long enough for Naruto to get this jutsu ready...

A clone rammed Killer Bee with a series of wind manipulations, variations of Rasengan that Naruto himself had concocted. He had not only elemental advantage, but the Rinnegan analyzing every jutsu or movement that the older Jinchuuriki made; he could immediately copy the justu, find its weaknesses and replicate it ten-fold in strength.

Naruto blinked as the newest set of information from one of his shadow-clones arrived. That was the other handy feature about using shadow clones. Even if an opponent managed to beat all of the clones, Naruto had more than enough information to make a coherent strategy, and given enough time... that strategy became unbeatable

A giant lightning bolt was thrown, exploding the nearby trees and several of Naruto's clones, but Naruto remained unperturbed. The jutsus was ready.

Six clones rammed wind-based rasengans into Killer Bee, but at that precise moment the Jinchuuriki lost total control... Naruto wondered if his father knew this particular side effect – that demons could partially regain control of their hosts... He was no longer facing a Kumo Shinobi. No longer facing a human. He was facing the eight-tailed demon. The giant ox rose, stomping his clones in a single swoop.

Naruto fired his demon-rasengan, frowning at the level of chakra it took. He stopped his cloaking seals. They were useless – the demon had acute chakra perception, so it didn't matter how well he could hide himself. He activated the entirety of the Kyuubi's chakra, his body glowing in a mass of spiritual energy. As he flashed toward the demon with unprecedented speed, his Rinnegan glowed more brightly than ever before.

The ball made successful contact, but it seemed far less effective on demons. The entire training ground was blown away, leaving a giant valley, with the crater at its epicenter. Naruto jumped in, surrounding himself in a layer of protective chakra, rotating like a Hyuuga to drill through into the center.

But even before he reached the spot where the eight-tails was supposed to be, a giant fist punched him to the side. Through the smog, his Rinnegan saw the demon – three of its tails cut by Naruto's attack... 'So it is effective after all, you just dodged it you bastard.' Naruto smirked. Yin/yang chakra seemed phenomenal, and he had just hit the tip of the ice berg...

N N N N N N

"Tsuchikage-sama... It appears – "

"I know..."

"Y-You know? O-Of course, Tsuchikage-sama."

"Naruto will come out victorious... He has yet to discover the final power of his Rinnegan, much less perfect it. He will have to use it in order to win this battle."

"What's that power? Sealing?"

"His sealing is impeccable... His Rinnegan gives him absolute control over all jutsus, except for some bloodlines. He doesn't even have to use hand signs for them. In addition, his ability to interact with the spiritual realm gives him the unique ability to have absolute elemental mastery, something even jounins can only master for one or two elements at most. Yes, he will be our trump card in bringing down Konoha."

"If you don't mind me asking, what on Earth does he need to work on?"

"His newly acquired yin/yang affinity is yet in its budding stage. His control over space/time jutsus has not even begun... and most importantly, the final power of the Rinnegan is yet to be activated. When Naruto perfects these... he will be unstoppable."

"W-what's his third power?"

The tsuchikage chuckled. "Do you know what the Rinnegan is?"

The jounin shook his head. "Absolute control over spirituality. Control over jutsus, charka, demons... anything beyond this world. Do you know why we are spiritual beings?"

The jounin remained silent. He didn't like where this was going.

"Your _soul_ is what makes you able to use chakra, jutsus, anything. Imagine..." his voice had become deathly quiet, almost mad just thinking about the prospects. "Just _imagine_... a power equivalent to the Shinigami himself, the God of Death."

'I must go... I must.'

"Thinking of leaving?" The Tsuchikage smirked at his 'guard'. "Tell me... How is Jiraiya-san doing, anyway?"

A head rolled on the floor before an answer could be heard.

N N N N N N

"Sensei... My spies cannot verify anything. I can only assume they died on the mission. Which isn't good... The fact that one of them died without even sending a distress signal, without even sending the information through the toad network... This can only mean the worst."

Sarutobi paled. Jiraiya had very, _very_ rarely failed to get information. This did not bode well for the Leaf. Kumo felt alienated by the entire incident of Killer Bee being attacked. Kiri and the Leaf were never on good terms to begin with anyways. Luckily, Suna's alliance held true, but the latest developments in this suspicious 'Sound' village, along with Tuschi's usual hatred of Konoha... Situations were very delicate, and with the Chuunin Exams rapidly approaching.

What was that saying? Oh yes. "Only a fool would be Hokage." He didn't really mean it, but still. Situations like these reminded him why he retired in the first place.

N N N N N N

It was a single touch. In desperation, Naruto reached out, his palm placed on the demon's forehead, and in an instant he was transported into its mind.

He was losing; not by much, but losing nonetheless. The demon's control of yin/yang chakra was impeccable, and although his Rinnegan allowed him to diffuse most of its jutsus, he couldn't sustain it. Even a single hit of that magnitude would end his life, and he kept slipping. He was forced to retreat three times, and on the fourth, he was cornered. So he jumped.

There was no other way – he jumped towards the giant demonic ball, drilling through it with a fortified chakra shield combined with his Body Flicker jutsu. When he went through, his Rasengan took over. It came naturally to him. He just briefly touched the ox's giant forehead, and that was it.

He felt its whole being – all the past memories, all the emotions – they overwhelmed him in a single instant. He almost lost control when a meek, ancient voice in the back of his mind told him to hold on. This was the demon's _life force_. It wasn't some biological pulse; it was a magnetic wave its brain was emitting. It wasn't even chakra. It was...

'_It's soul!_' Naruto didn't know why, but he held on. He held on like his life depended on it. The roller coaster seemed like it would never end, but it was getting easier. The turbulence became predictable, manageable. He still had no idea what he was doing or even how he had managed to come into contact with its soul, but he didn't have time to worry about that.

Grabbing it mentally, he slowly began yanking it out. It was the only way he knew to end the impossible ups and downs; its spirit didn't seem like budging. Gathering all his chakra, fortifying with the Kyuubi's, he gave one giant, single pull to overcome its will power. Naruto felt its will crumbling; he was unrelenting and continued to force its spirit into submission.

After what seemed like an eternity, the storm calmed and Naruto poured its soul out of its body. Pulling it out, he released it into nature...

There weren't many times in memory where Naruto was genuinely scared. This was one of them. He stared at the soul-less body that was left behind. It was a horrendous sight. Like a broken spirit; it couldn't speak, move... It would sometimes blink out of pure muscle memory, but beyond that, it would just stand there. And then Naruto recalled the immense roller coaster he had just been through...

Within that single second, Naruto had witnessed the lifetime of memories Killer Bee had been through. The love, the loathing, the languish... Everything this man had ever worked for... A drop of rain fell near his foot. No... Naruto looked around. It couldn't be rain. He touched his own cheek, wet. He was crying? He couldn't... He could never do this again. He simply did not have the will power to. To literally, emotionally and spiritually stand in some one else's shoes... To witness everything they've been through from their point of view, and then proceed to rip apart their humanity...

It was demonic.

For the first time in his life, Naruto considered himself to be a demon. A soul-less, compassion-less machine only capable of destruction.

The Tsuchikage looked from a distance. "Perfect..."

N N N N N N

There were three solutions, really... Naruto could give up his life as a shinobi, spend the rest of his days seeking solace from his sins... Naruto could forget about it, engrossing himself in his work, never leaving himself enough time to think about the horror... Or Naruto could numb himself to the pain – do it so many times it came naturally to him. Truly turn himself into a tool...

Naruto chose the second. He was too angry for the first. He had to seek revenge against Konoha for what they had done to him; for the atrocities committed during the Great Ninja Wars... for sealing a demon inside of him.

As for the third... he was too afraid of replicating that. There was a significant risk that this route would simply backfire. With his weakened willpower, he may not be strong enough to pull out another soul. And if he lost that spiritual tug of war, Naruto hazarded that he would probably have his own soul pulled out.

That, and... he was just too scared to try that again. If he succeeded, he would just amplify his guilt beyond anything it was now. Feeling someone else's soul was like knowing them more than you knew yourself. It was like _being_ them... sharing in their humanity and their lifeline... it was a bond not easily forgotten... It was a power not to be taken lightly.

So Naruto tried to forget it. He worked himself so hard that he couldn't think of it. Everyday he drove himself to the ground, leaving himself too tired to stay awake. Anything less than complete exhaustion mean an entire night of insomnia. He couldn't risk it... He _wouldn't_ risk it.

Besides, he had plenty of work ahead of him. Perfecting yin/yang jutsus, learning how to use the Kyuubi's chakra more precisely, and learning the most advanced sealing techniques...

Not to mention the latest mission: learning about Konoha. All their weaknesses, all the bloodlines, every Konoha shinobi in the Bingo Book. He would learn it like the back of his hand. In one month, they would leave for Konoha. In one month, he would be a different person. A stronger person.

N N N N N N

A month had passed excruciatingly slowly. Each day it seemed like Naruto had to physically push time onward, or perhaps it would just forget to move. He would glare at the clock, reminding that second hand to turn, telling that hour-hand oh-so-impolitely to budge, and praying that these nightmares would cease.

Killer Bee was a man who loved with his whole heart. Flashes of memories from Bee's first kiss, his love for his brother, the Raikage, his love for his country, even his love for rhyming so annoyingly... It was all so foreign to Naruto. Love was just not a priority for him. Bee, on the other hand, seemed to love _everything_ he did; he put his whole heart into everything possible and loved with a genuine soul... A soul that Naruto had ripped into shreds heartlessly.

Regardless, the new training program was doing its job, at least somewhat. Naruto was far too busy to have prolonged thoughts regarding his latest victim. But even a moment could sneak up on him. In a single second he would have a flashback that could keep him awake for hours later on. So he couldn't have a single second of free time.

He made hundreds, if not thousands, of clones and had them train every day. Perfecting every technique he had mimicked from Killer Bee. He needed to get faster at making the demonic rasengan.

Hundreds of clones pillaged the library shelves, reading up on everything to do with yin/yang chakra, frustrated at the absence of a great deal of information. Meanwhile, others researched Konoha. The information was a little out-dated – Iwa hadn't done any major military operations since the war. They had spent their time training, building up their stock. But seriously – how much could have changed in such little time?

N N N N N N

His father handed Naruto yellow documents.

"Your visa for safe entry into Konoha."

Naruto nodded, slipping the document safely inside. "You seem nervous."

The kage smiled. "Not at all. Excited."

They had rehearsed the plan into his memory; he was to have several shadow clones around the village, exploring. Meanwhile, he himself was to interact, getting to know the population, befriending them if necessary. Anything to learn the intricacies of their system.

He gave Tsuchigakure, one last look over. His home for the past five years. The tall rock spires had become friendly over the years. The civilian population his friends. He took one last deep, rough breath in the dry desert air before turning around. It was time to return to his other home, if it could even be called that.

A golden flash departed from the top of Tsuchigakure.

N N N N N N

Konoha had not changed significantly in half a decade. The gates had become slightly more worn down, but Naruto knew this was because they hadn't been washed, not because they were structurally weaker. The jutsus kept on the famous gates of Konohagakure assured permanent strength.

He approached the giant structure, upon which two ANBU Black Ops shinobi approached him, and he stopped to give them his yellow passport card.

"Name?"

"Konosuke Matsushita" Naruto lied cleanly.

"He checks out."

The other ANBU nodded, and they parted to let Naruto come through. His two 'team mates' would arrive in a couple hours, but he wanted to arrive early to scope out the scene.

"Where's your team, though?"

"They'll be here in about three and a half hours."

"Say, how did you know how to get here?"

"It's hard to miss the gates of Konohagakure."

"Hm..." The answer seemed acceptable, and the two stopped badgering him.

Naruto stepped in, for the first time in five years, to the city that gave him hell. The city that he would return this vengeance by a thousand fold. Smiling, Naruto put on his persona of a cheerful, average child. He had to make 'friends.'

"Hey! Let me go!" A small child screamed in an unusually annoying manner. It was often remarkable how in such a small body one could contain such a frustratingly large lung capacity. Naruto sensed two... no, three chakra forms. One had a sent of blood around him. He wasn't visible. He almost reflexively activated his Rinnegan... almost. He couldn't afford to have anyone knowing. Not yet.

Suppressing his chakra completely, he made just one other clone.

"Hey now, can't we let him go?" Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his head goofily.

"Who the heck are you?"

"Konosuke. Konosuke Matsushita. You must be Kankuro, correct?"

"How the heck do you know who I am?"

"Come now, it's hard to not know of the Kazekage's esteemed children." Naruto tried to sound sincere. "Why don't we complete our introductions in a more peaceful area?"

A pink haired girl and a pale boy wearing blue now approached. It was hard to miss the crest. So not _all_ the Uchiha's were dead after all. Perhaps Konoha wasn't as pathetic as it seemed after all.

"What are you doing in our village?" The kunoichi asked pointedly.

Naruto gave her a deathly glare. "I'm here to kill you." he whispered. He paused for ten seconds when no one reacted; "Only joking!" he added with a nervous laugh. "I'm Konosuke Matsushita, and I'm pleased to meet you! I'm here for the Chuunin Exams."

Kankuro let the boy go. "How about the pinky? I say we pick on her instead, she seems far more fun. Or maybe this asshole who seems to talk a lot."

A dirty blonde with bushy hair now took out her fan. "How about we have some fun?"

Naruto sweat dropped. "O-Oh, no. I'm not too good at fighting, just medical jutsus, really. That's my main specialty."

They both smiled sadistically. "Oh, come on. How do you plan on becoming a Chuunin if you can't even spar with us?"

"Hey asshole. Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The Uchiha used a body flicker jutsu to flash towards the girl when Kankuro caught him mid twirl, slamming him to the ground, but the Uchiha's substitution was too fast. Kankuro pulled out a large box, slamming it open to pull out a puppet.

"H-Hey guys t-two on one doesn't seem very fair." Naruto meekly pointed out.

"You're so right. Pinky, you wanna help him?" Kankuro shouted as his puppet flew at Sakura, who was caught off guard. Suddenly, Sasuke, Kankuro, his puppet, and Temari all collapsed.

'What _was_ that?' Came the simultaneous thoughts from all the genin.

"How about we all just cool things down a little bit?" Naruto smiled. "Maybe then we wouldn't all trip?" If he continued to rub the back of his head anymore, he swore he'd go bald. Gently protecting the young boy, he sent him off on his way. "I'm sure the hokage's grandson would not want to be involved in this little scrimage?"

"Kankuro; Temari," a raspy voice breathed out. "We're outmatched. Let's go."

And as quickly as they came, the Sand ninja departed.

"Uchiha-san, they were terrified of you!" Naruto smiled cheerfully, but the effect of his jutsu was not missed by the genin, who felt something was remiss.

"Somehow, I don't think it was me they were afraid of, Konosuke-san."

A third genin with black, unruly hair sprinted towards them. "Hey guys what did I miss?"

Naruto stuck his hand out. "I'm Konosuke Matsushita, nice to meet you!"

"Nice! I'm Inuzaku Kiba, the pleasure's all mine!" Turning to his team mates, he said "Sorry guys, Sensei just kept me there for so long. What did I miss?"

Sasuke and Sakura continued to stare at Naruto in silence. Kiba turned to Naruto who just kept eerily smiling.

"Okay, who's hungry?"

N N N N N N


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all!

I know it's been an absurdly long time, but this story is honestly the bottom of my priority list.

I probably won't be updating it too frequently until my other stories get finished.

So, here is the chapter I wrote a long time ago.

* * *

Chapter 3

Sasuke wasn't sure who this new kid was... But he didn't like him at all. His arrogant smirk. That way he pretended nothing at all was wrong... He seemed completely inept at any jutsus, but that... That interaction. There was something missing. Nobody saw what had happened, but that Konosuke Matsushita just kept smiling like nothing happened. Even he couldn't be so dense as to not understand... No, it was far more likely that he was the _cause_ of that... whatever that was.

N

"That was so cool! How did you do that Konsuke-san?" A tiny kid tagged along Naruto, badgering him with questions.

Naruto feigned ignorance. "What do you mean Konahamaru?" _The Hokage's grandson... I should keep close contact with him. He will undoubtedly come in handy some day._

"The way you took down those dudes! That was you, wasn't it."

Naruto blinked. "Oh. I thought they tripped." He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just a medical ninja, so my awareness of battles isn't too great haha."

Konahamaru muttered something close to "Unbelievably pathetic. Humph."

N

Two days until the exams, but Naruto had barely scoured one-third of the pathetic village, and he certainly wasn't making progress any faster by tagging along with these pathetic Genin, nagging him at every second for where he's been or how life in the Tsuchi was like.

Finally, Naruto managed to separate himself from the buffoons when his "teammates" arrived – those being his own shadow clones, of course. The Tsuchikage did not dare send anyone else on such a dangerous operative, for fear of their being caught and giving his ace card away.

The major next step was getting into the Konoha library, one of the greatest treasure troves of ninjutsu secrets in the world, only accessible to Konoha ninja. Naruto had to wait until the dead of night to even attempt an entrance into the library. In the mean time, he'd scope out which of the ANBU Black Ops he'd have to impersonate.

He had studied Konoha's security definitively. The reports of how the ANBU operated were extremely difficult to acquire, but after a handy number of breakthroughs (and many deaths,) he had managed to acquire a list of seven ANBU and their respective identities.

Of those, one looked the most promising: Hatake Kakashi, the son of the ever-so-famous White Fang. Like all ANBU, he had immense promise. Former ANBU captain, Jounin at 13. And then there was the matter of his Sharingan – that handy little bloodline said to be extinct... Despite all these formidable challenges, he had a major flaw that all shinobi face with age: rust.

As far as Naruto knew, Kakashi hadn't picked up any ANBU assignments in what was _forever_ in shinobi terms. Not keeping up with sparring, advanced techniques leads even the sharpest tools to become dull. _That_, and he had the element of surprise. Kakashi had no idea who he was or even where he'd attack from. Recently he'd taken up relaxation – a jounin leader for a trio of genins, library guard duty, guarding the Konoha gates... remedial activities for someone of his potential.

Plus, he was the most senior guards on library duty, meaning his face became the most valuable. Stalking Kakashi, however, was a little more tricky. _That_ required approaching him point blank, earning his full trust... or even better – taking on the identity of someone who already had his trust.

Which is why Naruto was currently heading toward the civilian district...

N

"Sakura-san, right?" Naruto approached her meekly.

"Hey there Konosuke! Please, drop the honorific." she smiled pleasantly.

"Thanks!" Naruto sheepishly smiled. "This is rather embarassing... Well, you see, I'm obviously new here, and I'm afraid I've lost my way. I was wondering if you could help me find the Shinobi Shrine."

Sakura seemed willing enough, but a puzzled expression appeared on her face. "That's an interesting thing you're looking for. How come?" They walked together through the main roads. Naruto had to divert her away from all shinobi and civilians.

"I came to pay my respects... My uncle is actually from Konoha; I've just never gotten a chance to come here before..." Naruto responded with a convincing faux-solemnness.

"Oh... You know, Konosuke, you're not at all like what I thought shinobi from the Stone would be like! You're... you're no different than us..." She smiled as they arrived there.

_'Oh, I'm _very _different from you...'_

Naruto immediately put her under a genjutsu, forcing her to tell him everything she knew about Kakashi's mannerisms, awkward habits and indulgences. If he was going to become Hatake Kakashi, he needed to know everything about this man.

Naruto altered her memory so she would only remember that they got lost along the way to the shrine, and she returned home immediately afterwards. She was slightly more difficult to get under control than he had anticipated – she must have had a strong natural knack for genjutsu. Pity the great Kakashi didn't spend more time developing it.

As he finished sending her home, the sun was setting. He didn't really have all the information he needed – naturally, Kakashi would interact differently toward his students than, say, his peers... or at least Naruto thought so. Still, he didn't have time to place yet another person under genjutsu, and he couldn't afford compromising his cover. Multiple people placed under genjutsu with altered memories was begging for suspicion.

Naruto spared a glance at the shrine he hadn't seen for several years... He looked at his father's name, engraved in the center. _'Fuck you, you sick bastard...'_

N

Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have activated his cloaking shields, but on the off-chance Kakashi decided to use his sharingan, that would be a little problematic. He didn't feel like letting Kakashi have a peek at anything just yet; that was the trick to this little encounter: he had to kill him without the use of anything Kakashi could copy.

Perched on top of a tree, Naruto stared at the target before him. Kakashi's single, lazy eye seemed to focus on an orange book in front of him. Was the man intentionally trying to be a moron? It didn't matter. Naruto pushed out all the character judgements that came to mind – he had a single mission, and if it was easier than expected, that was good news.

"Kakashi-san!" A slightly younger man approached Kakashi now.

'_What now?_' Naruto had no option but to sit back and watch the events before him transpire. He couldn't risk more people knowing...

"Ah, Asuma-san. What brings you out at a time like this?" Kakashi nonchalantly responded.

Asuma lit a cigarette. "I actually wanted to talk to you about some... events that took place involving our students."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, yes – I'm most sorry about that little scuffle. I should have kept a better leash on the kids."

"I was speaking with Kurenai, and she suggested, perhaps, working together in joint training – so as to strengthen teamwork across the board. The coming Chuunin Exams will be difficult, and given the kinds of teams other nations are sending, perhaps it would be wise to have our genin work together."

Kakashi seemed to mull the idea over a bit. It was during this period of silence that Naruto had an idea – if Kakashi was here, who was guarding the library? Sure, Kakashi's chakra was probably necessary to unlock many of the inner portions that kept the truly valuable information, but he could at least make a preliminary shadow clone to scout out the basic layout.

N

"Sorry about that. Kakashi-san is running late today, so he sent me to take over while he's away."

"You've never done this before, have ya kid." A taller ANBU officer shook his head. "They sure are promoting them young these days."

The first man gulped. "Sorry, sir."

The older ANBU sighed. "Listen, just because you're guarding the library doesn't mean you can take it easy – some of our greatest secrets are here."

"Yes sir!"

"Well, good luck. And don't screw up..." And with that the older ANBU officer was relieved of his post. The first man took off his mask, revealing blonde hair and aquamarine eyes. Naruto smirked. '_That's it? Really, Konoha. You're making things too easy._' A second shadow clone took on the appearance of the first guard while the first went ahead inside the library.

The library had volumes upon volumes. It would take a decade to peruse through all of the material... '_Or one night with the right number of shadow clones..._'

N

"If they can't pass the Chuunin Exam, they don't deserve to be Chuunin. I don't see a need to compensate weakness by grouping them together. They have three man teams for a reason – precisely because it's the optimal strategy in battle, combining flexibility and mobility with power." Kakashi was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"You haven't seen some of the beasts that they're sending." Asuma rubbed his forehead. Arguing with Kakashi was like having a staring contest with the wall – technically, he'd win, but really it was like you'd be playing a different game entirely.

"Actually I've heard about them. And sometimes that's just how the wind blows us. Do you think it was fair for my opponents that I was in the same batch as them?"

"Those were different times, Kakashi. We were at war."

Kakashi smirked. "The Chuunin Exam is only a substitute for it. It's not all that different."

Asuma stopped. "Very well. The other genin teams have decided to band together. If you don't wish to, that's perfectly fine. Good luck, Kakashi."

"To you as well."

'_They have to band together? This is pathetic. Taking down the Leaf is going to be easier than I thought._' Naruto decided the time to attack would be soon enough. As soon as Sarutobi Asuma was out of sight, he wouldn't have to hold back. Naruto stopped using chakra. Perhaps it was Kyuubi rearing to go, or maybe it was just his arrogance flaring up given the recent news regarding Konoha genin – either way, '_I'm gonna take him down with just Taijuutsu._' Smirking to himself, he waited for just the right time.

N

Konoha was not particularly active during the nights, but the Chuunin Exams were approaching, and the entire village seemed to be buzzing with electric excitement. The genins had gathered together to prepare.

"This is a rather unconventional year. For the first time since the war, many of our rival villages will be attending this year's Chuunin Exams. Among them, Tsuchi." Kurenai spoke to a group of genins huddled together to protect themselves against a chilly night.

"Many of these villages, obviously, still hold grudges for what we did to them. The Fourth Hokage, as I'm sure you're all aware, incurred massive damages by himself. Deaths are not easily forgotten. So we don't expect them to play fair in these upcoming exams. Which is why we won't either. Our intelligence has informed us that they are purposefully sending shinobi far beyond the Genin level. They've held them back just for this occasion."

Some of the genin gulped with fear. One gulped to swallow a potato chip.

Asuma stepped in. "Which is why this year, you are all going to work together in the first two parts of the exam. We cannot tell you what they consist of, but we are going to start practicing teamwork. So far you've been used to dealing in 3 man teams. Gone are those days for this exam. Every Konoha ninja is an ally."

"A-ano, Sensei, where is Team 7?"

"Kakashi's group has declined our offer." Kurenai replied. "So if they attack you, feel free to defend and treat them as any other enemy. But use that as a last resort. Konoha needs a victory this year."

"Sasuke-kun already found one of the Tsuchi shinobi!" Ino was the first to report, proudly. In truth, Sakura had been bragging to her about it. "I don't think they're very good. He was a medical ninja that tripped over his own foot apparently" she giggled.

Both senseis seemed to relax a bit at that. It seemed that much of the tension was due purely to the fact that who was coming remained a mystery. "Still, we shouldn't underestimate them. There may be many stronger teammates with him."

"Iunno – " MUNCH – "he seemed really nice, at least – " MUNCH – "that's what I heard." Chouji said. "He even helped Konahamaru."

Asuma visibly twitched at that. '_A Tsuchi shinobi? What was Konahamaru thinking..._' He definitely had to ask the boy some questions tonight...

N

Naruto quietly dragged Kakashi's body into the library. The man's eye was the key to opening most of the doors. He winced as his shoulder rotated. '_Stupid dogs. I can't believe I was so careless. Serves me right for being so cocky. Fucking mutts. I swear the next time I can use my Rinnegan I'll go into the spirit world to kill them myself. Goddamn fucking..._' The mental curses continued for quite some time as Naruto worked to open the final chamber.

The fight had not gone as expected. Naruto had been forced to use some jutsus, and actually needed several shadow clones for help. He was just about to resort to using his Rinnegan when Kakashi made a crucial mistake – he chose higher elevation. Normally, this tactic was fine, but Kakashi didn't know Naruto was a wind element user. Naruto seized the opportunity and used one of his pure wind manipulations – something even a Sharingan couldn't copy – to form an instant gail that knocked Kakashi's footing loose.

Something in Kakashi snapped – a sense of foreboding as to what was approaching. Something that has approached him numerous times before. Maybe it was his instinct finally wearing in after a decade of rust. Maybe it was just Kami warning him that death was coming. But instantly, Kakashi sought lower ground. His current location wasn't safe, not with a wind user around.

Seizing the opportunity, Naruto rushed at the man. He had to reach him before he reached the ground, and there was only one way to do that... A golden flash knocked out Kakashi in an instant.

He thought about killing the man for quite some time, but decided it was best not to. Most villages place tracking seals on all high-profile ninja, and the seals are only activated when they're killed. It's usually to let the village know to properly dispose of the body, so no crucial jutsus can be stolen by enemy villages. Naruto could have used the Rinnegan to undo it, but even a slight slip up would give everything away.

'_Besides, he's far more useful to me alive, anyways._' The next move was to place Kakashi under a serious genjutsu. But that was all secondary to the main task at hand: the library.

Naruto paused as he released the other shadow clones – the knowledge came whizzing into his mind, cataloguing and organizing itself into areas. The information, though useful, was mainly preliminary. A detailed history of Konoha, maps and secret areas, basic information about the clans.

But the main meat itself was not present: apparently all the clans had their own libraries at the head quarters, as did the hokage himself. It was these scrolls that contained any useful information at all. Ultimately, the night had been more or less a waste. He had enough information to be able to pretend he had been raised in Konoha; that was it.

Which brought him to his current predicament. He was uncertain as to what useful information, if any, this last door held. Given that most useful information was not in the library, there was a sinking feeling in his stomach that this final door could very well be a trap. '_Here goes nothing..._'

Naruto revealed Kakashi's sharingan to a hollow scanner on the door. The chakra seals whirred open to reveal a single seal that would be activated any second now.

Instantly, chakra binds were placed on Naruto, and as he took a step back, a giant wooden dome was created around him. He felt seven chakra presences appear outside the dome. Then, an old man walked inside, closing the wood behind him... It was the Hokage.

'_Well, fuck. You've really done it this time, Naruto..._'

N

"Who are you?"

"..."

The giant man with a scar on his head didn't look too pleased. '_So this is Ibiki... I've read so much about him._' "I'll ask you one last time, before I place this little drug into you." He placed a small vial of black liquid on the table. '_Truth serum..._' "Oh, you know what this is? Very good."

Outside the barren interrogation room, the Hokage and all the council were watching through a single window.

"Did we manage to find anything on him?" The Hokage asked his ANBU leader.

"No, Hokage-sama. He has no belongings, doesn't appear to have any village allegiance."

"Has Kakashi-san woken yet?"

"The doctors say they'll wake him in a couple hours. He's taken very extensive damage. Even then, they say he shouldn't talk too much. Bed rest for another couple days with intensive chakra therapy."

The council leaders stepped in now. "Doesn't it seem oddly suspicious... A total stranger, shows up into our library, accessing the inner sanctum. Just weeks beforehand, we were blamed for an operation we didn't conduct."

"Yes, the incidents are undoubtedly related. The larger question is who is the mastermind behind this plan... Just days from the Chuunin Exams. Yes, there's no doubt that the culmination for this is the exams."

As the black fluid poured into Naruto's veins, he mentally smiled. He was immune to most poisons – the Kyuubi would filter them out easily. Even if his own chakra were repressed, the Kyuubi's external coils would serve as a backup.

As he drank the fluids, he quickly thought of a phony story he could feed to them.

"Who are you." Ibiki's tone changed completely. It was calm now – he was assuming that because of the truth serum, the truth would simply waddle forward. How wrong he was.

"My name is Konosuke Matsushita."

"Is that your real name?"

"Yes."

"Where are you from?"

"Kiri."

"Why did they send you here?"

"To infiltrate the ranks of the Leaf, find out everything I could and relay vital information."

"Why did they do this?"

"As retaliation for Konoha murdering one of their own."

Ibiki looked at the window, knowing everyone was looking at him.

The Hokage seemed perturbed. Something didn't feel right. But the truth serum...

"You will now be escorted to the Konoha prisoner's hospital for some tests."

Naruto stood up. He thought of breaking out, but it seemed futile. He didn't know how many enemies were out there. The chakra binds were constantly sapping away at his chakra. The physical fatigue that came with that was starting to affect him now, too. He needed to get out sooner than later...

N

"We'll have to temporarily knock him out and remove the chakra binds."

"There's no other way?"

The doctor shook his head. "In order to get an accurate sample for our tests we need his chakra to be present at least somewhat minimally."

Sarutobi sighed. "Very well. Oh, also – test it against this DNA, will you?"

There was a silence. "This is..."

"Yes, I know... It's... It's just a hunch. Oh, and please don't tell anyone else about this."

"Very well, Hokage-sama. I'll see to this personally."

"Arigatou."

That was his chance. '_Mental note. Stop getting caught..._' Twice in two missions. This was getting pretty embarrassing. Some stealth ninja he was... If only he could activate his Rinnegan. He could have easily found out what the seal did. But he just couldn't risk any larger seals picking it up. Who knows what other protections were placed into Konoha.

Naruto sat, blindfolded with chakra binds, in what appeared to be a very isolated, well-reinforced room. With absolutely no idea as to what the medical ninja were really about to do to him. He absolutely needed to be in the Chuunin Exams, so he couldn't do any major damage that would blow his cover. This was, as it seemed, nearly terminal. He would need a hail mary.

As it turns out, if you pray really hard, sometimes Kami listens.

A man poofed next to the hokage. "Sir – emergency. ANBU squad 69 just returned."

The rest of the conversation took place in whispers a few yards away from any doctor or Naruto, but it seemed that some emergency was occurring – or perhaps had already occurred.

N

Kakashi awoke with a groan. Oh no... He knew this groan. This was the - 'I just got the shit knocked out of me so I'm sleeping in an uncomfortable hospital bed' groan. What was he doing here? His memory slowly came back to him.

'_That kid... His fighting style..._' He hadn't fought an Iwa nin in nearly a decade. A pure taijutsu ninja was a rare breed. Gai's apprentice wasn't the only one he'd heard of, but they weren't all too common. It was a rather risky approach unless one had a spectacular bloodline to deal with other things. That kid was holding back – he didn't use jutsu until the end. That was pure elemental manipulation, too. His proficiency with wind was unreal. No hand signs. No sign of warning. Just pure, unadulterated will shaping the wind to his whim.

Then there was the real reason he was caught off guard: Hirashin... Who on earth – _how_ on earth, could someone... Regardless, he had to report to Hokage-sama immediately.

Kakashi groaned, getting out of bed. That kid didn't hold back, that was certain. His whole body ached with the apex being the back of his neck.

Then a curious question appeared in his mind. '_Why didn't he kill me?_'

N

The hospital was empty. All the doctors suddenly rushed to treat a corps of ANBU Black Ops. Even the Hokage disappeared instantly. That left just Naruto. '_Ah, the irony..._'

Well, there wasn't going to be a better chance than this he supposed. Unleashing a new wave of chakra, Naruto overpowered the chakra binds on his hands. Normally, this would be impossible. But when you have an immortal demon's chakra supply combined with your own monstrous stamina, new opportunities opened up. Naruto smirked. Freedom. Nothing was so sweet.

That left him in a dark room in an unknown location...

N

"He screwed up... Got caught by the Hokage himself. Ain't no way the old man won't be prepared for something now."

The Tsuchikage shook his head. "He will not be able to participate in the Chuunin Exams as anticipated."

The advisory elders sneered. They never particularly liked the kage's favoritism to his new-found 'son'.

The kage, however, wasn't so sure. "It doesn't matter. Naruto will find a way in, of that I'm certain. Besides, regardless of his participation, we have found an extensive survey of Konoha's analyses. Fresh from my son."

The kage unwrapped a scroll from a raven that contained a single seal. "Contained here is the entire Konoha library's database, along with their emergency routes planned in case of a catastrophe."

"And these claims are trustworthy?" One of the elders shook his head at the thought of that monster doing anything properly.

"I trust him with our life."

"You just may have to, Tsuchikage-sama." The advisor replied curtly.

An awkward silence took over the room. While Naruto's popularity knew no bounds amongst the general public, the elders were more... skeptical. He had become unofficially the next in line for the kage title, which robbed the council of elders of their most important function: nominating those for the next kage position. It was decided by a fight, sometimes to the death. But with the Yondaime Tsuchikage's embrace of Naruto, most were too fearful of nomination.

"It's time we prepare for the invasion. We should arrive well in time before the Chuunin Exams finish."

The conversation took a new turn. "Kage-sama is correct. The invasion will moot Naruto's utility. We have all the information we need, which makes the boy's current situation irrelevant for our purposes. I suggest we begin by setting up the outside perimeter around Konoha..."

N

Naruto had no choice. He activated his Rinnegan. He was surrounded by a myriad of seals: one that alerted the Hokage if anyone escaped, one that released poison gas on the prisoner, one that summoned toads instantly to fight any intruders... It was remarkably complex, if one was unfamiliar with the Uzumaki branch of sealing. No doubt this was the handicraft of his own village during the alliance with Konoha.

He needed to find the center seal that connected the network together. Then, by reversing the chakra he could temporarily disable the system as a whole. The more complicated problem, however, was that the center node itself was connected to another seal that would be triggered – just in case someone thought of something clever like, oh, reversing the chakra. Indeed, there were a web of seals ultimately connecting themselves to the Hokage's tower. This was the prison seal of Konoha – an impregnable fortress of seals where no one could escape without knowledge.

None but those especially skilled at the Uzumaki clan seals and those with... perhaps a Rinnegan. Naruto smirked. It was very clever, he'd admit. It had all the handiwork of the Yondaime Hokage – the most complicated seals passed down from his clan. But with the absolute control of chakra granted by his bloodline, it, too, would cave.

By creating an instant seal between the center node and its connecting seal, he could separate the network away from the larger web that linked itself to the Hokage's Tower. Then, the seal itself would take in the network's chakra – thus creating the illusion that the chakra flow had not in fact reversed. Meanwhile, with his cell's sealing system isolated, he could dismantle them all, walking out free.

As he set to work, Naruto contemplated his next step. He frowned, realizing he'd probably have to keep relying on his dojutsu. The whole place was undoubtedly filled with dangerous seals, awaiting any prisoner who actually did escape. '_Well, worst comes to worst I'll have to blast my way through. The invasion should be halfway to Konoha by now. I'll just have to bide my time for at least a couple more days, and I'll simply join forces with father once more._' Not being able to participate in the Chuunin Exams would not be as big of a problem as he expected.

N

"WHAT!?"

"One minute we're taking care of the ANBU squad, and the next, he's gone! We don't know what happened. It's not possible to get through alive!"

'_I'm too old for this shit..._' As the Sandaime Hokage sadly contemplated his aging body, a doctor slowly walked up, perplexed, and handed him a single piece of paper.

"Here is the test result you wanted me to run, Hokage-sama."

The feeling in his gut had been right – it was relief, astonishment, and worry bundled into a giant ball of stress. '_Minato Namikaze – Paternal: 100%_'.

The Hokage dropped the small scrap of paper after setting it on fire. It completely burned before even touching the ground.

This was Minato's son... It was _Naruto_. THE Naruto, the _dead_ Naruto... back to life. He had another chance to redeem himself. Hiruzen Sarutobi thanked Kami-sama from the depths of his heart. A younger Sarutobi, deep inside, smirked childishly. He wanted to trounce on Danzo, bragging in front of his face. But years of experience and wisdom kept that old tomfoolery locked up. He simply smiled. This was good news. It presented Konoha with a fantastic opportunity – reclaiming the heir to a long lost clan.

There was just one teensy problem: Naruto was missing.

And it was as if Kami had heard Hiruzen's thoughts. A giant explosion erupted from the side of the prison system...

N

Naruto Uzumaki emerged from the rubble virtually unscathed. He quickly assessed the situation: Twenty ANBU immediately emerged for the situation, several doctors, one hokage, and thirty or so jounin, chuunin and various other anonymous ninja.

Honestly, he was debating whether to fight them all – at least, kill as many as he could before trying to escape – and whether this would impede on his ability to participate in the invasion. No doubt he couldn't possibly participate in the Chuunin Exams now.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto froze. Cover was blown. From what Naruto observed, the others were equally surprised. He pieced the seen together – a doctor was next to the Hokage holding a clip board. No one else knew. '_Sneaky old coot... He must have known all along..._'

"The games are over, I suppose." Naruto smirked.

Hatake Kakashi made it onto the scene, still partially wrapped in bandages.

"How are you, Hatake? Probably shouldn't move around too much, eh?"

Kakashi smiled back. "I thought I recognized that technique. Who better to inherit that jutsu than the Fourth's legacy?"

Naruto's demeanor changed entirely. "I'm not the Fourth's legacy. And I'm more than capable of figuring out my own techniques. Your precious Yondaime borrowed more than he gave credit for."

"Sensei was an excellent ninja, and that's far more than what I can say for _you_." Kakashi chirped back, his eyes seemingly happy, but his demeanor inside seemed more cross than he led on.

"Kakashi-san. The Yondaime's prized student. So rusty that he can't even defeat a Genin from Iwa. Perhaps your time away from ANBU was a mistake after all?"

"Naruto. What the village did – what _I_ did – was a huge mistake. Please accept our sincerest apologies." the Hokage knelt down.

The rest of the crowd was astonished, Naruto included – but his ninja sense was working overdrive. He needed an opportunity to escape, and perhaps this was it. He witnessed the ANBU and the other Jounin follow suit, until finally, even the civilian nearby knelt. He needed to leave; he needed to leave now. Did he have time to leave? There were too many.

The thought of escaping, while the simultaneous, sheer shock of the Hokage and everyone before him bowing, showing their vulnerability, froze Naruto's feet. He couldn't move.

"Naruto," the Hokage began, standing up. "Truly, I'm sorry. How have you been?"

"Th-That's it? How have you been? I'm leaving."

A small cane tapped. Another time. A third. Someone was walking up behind him. Naruto turned to see a bandaged man, covering half of his body.

Naruto didn't really know who he was. He knew a name: Danzo. But even in all the files he scoured through, everything was blacked out. Something about this man was creepy, that much was certain. He remembered his adopted father telling him one tip – just one. Especially strange since Naruto was long past the stage when he needed advice on missions.

"_Beware of Danzo. His operations with a man named Orochimaru are dubious. His dabbling with the Sharingan are even stranger. Your eyes are strong, but at the end of the day, they are just tools. Even a stone in the hands of a jounin will beat the Rinnegan of a civilian. Don't push him, especially when I'm not there."_

Now he really, really needed to leave.

"Now, now, Uzumaki-san. There's no need to prepare for such a jutsu." Danzo quietly drawled.

* * *

Again, so sorry about the lack of updating.

I will try and get back to this story later.


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